Search Results for: the painter

Here it’s almost September already and I haven’t even discussed August releases yet. But there’s too many good novels (see list at right) to skip from spotlighting them.

Of course a lot of people this month are talking about Haruki Murakami’s latest novel “Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage,” which is about a man in his mid-30s who journeys to visit four of his former high school friends to find out why they cut off all relations with him during college. Who better than Ti over at Book Chatter to be the fan ambassador for this new book. She’s read about everything he’s written and I’m sure will have the lowdown soon on where this particular novel stands amid all his other famous works.

Weighing in at 640 pages, “We Are Not Ourselves” by Matthew Thomas is another novel making a splash this month. It’s about an Irish-American family in New York and their lives that chart the story of America’s 20th century. It’s been heralded as a literary breakout for Thomas whose debut has been ten years in the making. Author Chad Harbach calls it a “powerfully moving book” and Joshua Ferris says it’s a “masterwork.”

Other novels this month are also weighty in substance, taking on the seriousness of fall books instead of flighty, fun summer reads. Take for instance, “The Narrow Road to the Deep North” by Richard Flanagan which tells the story set in 1943 of an Australian who tries to save the men under his command while slaving in a Japanese POW camp along the Thai-Burma Railway. Flanagan’s novel apparently springs from his own father’s experiences working on the “death railway” during WWII. It has been much praised and is long-listed for the 2014 Man Booker Prize. (Stay tuned for the Booker short list to be announced on Sept. 9).

Also this month there’s “The Lotus and the Storm” a novel by Lan Cao, which illuminates the shattering effects of war as experienced by a South Vietnamese family, who forty years later living in Virginia discover truths about what really happened during their years in Saigon. Author Ruth Ozeki calls the novel “profoundly moving” and Khaled Hosseini says it’s a “searing indictment of the American campaign in Vietnam.”

Another touted novel out this month “Before, During, and After” by Richard Bausch explores the effects that 9/11 has on a soon-to-be-married couple. While another “Your Face in Mine” by Jess Row explores issues of race and identity after a man undergoes racial reassignment surgery that allows him to pass as African American. One last one “The Dog” by Jack Livings, which captures lives set within contemporary China, has been called “a pitch-perfect account of modernization’s grueling aftermath” by Publishers Weekly.

Whoa when did summer end? These books all seem so weighty and significant. But I’m still in my summer reading mode and have picked three other novels a bit lighter in scope. First off, I’d like to check out Malcolm Brooks’s debut “Painted Horses” about a female archaeologist in the 1950s who is hired to explore a Montana canyon slated for damming and destruction. I’ve heard it’s good and I’m just in an American West frame of mind right now, thanks to Peter Heller’s novel “The Painter,” which I’m enjoying.

I might also pick up Ellen Cooney’s novel “The Mountaintop School for Dogs and Other Second Chances,” which is about two women who start a sanctuary for dogs high on a mountain where humans and canines help each other find new hope and new lives. Need I say more? If you’re a dog person like me, this story might be a wee bit hard to resist.

Lastly for novels out this month, I hope to check out Julie Schumacher’s “Dear Committee Members” because it looks funny and irreverent and hopefully is just the perfect book to end the summer on. I know a lot of bloggers have already blitzed through its short 192 pages and liked it. For those who don’t know it, Slate explains it’s a “funny and lacerating novel of academia written in the form of letters of recommendation.” Its protagonist professor Jason Fitger sounds like a hilarious piece of work so I don’t want to miss this one.

In movies out this month (see list at left), I know folks who’ve loved “Guardians of the Galaxy” but action blockbusters aren’t exactly my thing. I liked the book “The Giver” by Lois Lowry but I’m not sure about seeing the movie. And I haven’t read “The Hundred-Year Journey” by Richard Morais so I think I will likely wait to see that movie on pay-per-view as well as “The Trip to Italy,” though both might have potential.

In albums out this month (see list at bottom right), I’d likely pick Spoon’s “They Want My Soul,” or else the alt-country selection “Bahamas Is Afie” by the singer/guitarist who makes up Bahamas.

What about you — which books, movies, or albums out this month are you most looking forward to? Continue reading →

Because I’ve been away a bit, I’m late in putting out my release picks this month, so let’s get started. A plethora of interesting-looking new novels (see list at right) made it difficult for me to narrow my choices.

There’s a bit of everything this month, for a love story and beach read I’m considering snatching up Beatriz Williams’s new novel “The Secret Life of Violet Grant,” which is about a recent college grad who begins to investigate the past of an aunt she never knew she had. Booklist calls it a “substantive beach read steeped in history and familial intrigue.” Okay with me, I’ll get out the sunscreen.

Or maybe I should turn to Scandinavian crime fiction, since Jo Nesbo’s latest “The Son” is coming out, which looks to be another wild and chilling ride. It’s about a prison inmate who finds out a secret about his deceased father and sets out to hunt down those responsible for the crimes against him. I’m sure it’ll have a lot of twists and turns, not to mention suspense, but will I be able to stomach the brutality?

I could turn to another WWII novel, which is getting tremendous positive feedback called “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr. It’s set during the war in France and Germany about a 14-year-old French blind girl and a German orphan boy whose paths cross late in the novel. Author J.L. Moehringer says it’s a novel “you savor, and ponder, and happily lose sleep over, then go around urging all your friends to read—now.” While author Abraham Verghese says “Doerr’s writing and imagery are stunning. … The story still lives on in my head.”

Hmm. I’ll likely need to read it, but my very first choice for this month’s releases is Peter Heller’s new novel “The Painter.” Granted, I did not read Heller’s successful 2012 debut “The Dog Stars” (I gave it to my husband who very much enjoyed it), but I vow to amend that by reading this one. According to O magazine “The Painter” is about an artist who “settles into a quiet new life in Colorado after serving time for shooting a man in a bar fight–and reconnects with his old rage.” Much has been praised about Heller’s writing, so sign me up for this one.

Lastly in books I’m a bit curious about Adam Pelzer’s debut novel “Troika” called a modern-day love story between a Cuban-American and a Russian orphan that journeys from Little Havana to Manhattan. Author Ayelet Waldman has been on the bandwagon for this book saying in numerous venues that she [friggin’] loved it.

As well as I’m interested in Amy Rowland’s debut “The Transcriptionist” that takes place at a big New York City newspaper and explores questions about journalism and ethics, technology, the decline of papers and the written word. I plan to scoop it up quickly as I worked at a newspaper for many years so I think it could be topical to me, as well as many others.

In movies this month (see list at left), I don’t see any that I’m particularly interested in seeing at the theater. I’m not a big super-hero watcher, sorry Spidey. Instead I’m currently trying Season One of the political drama “House of Cards” with Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. It’s about a Congressman, the House majority whip, who, after being passed over for Secretary of State, initiates a plan to get into a position of more power. He and his wife are pretty cold fish. And would he really risk leaking to such a rookie reporter? The show has quite a dark outlook on humanity and the inner workings of D.C., where I once lived. I guess I’ll watch a bit more and see if I hang with it.

Other good news in May is there’s quite a few enticing albums being released (see list at bottom right). I need to check out new ones from Coldplay, the Black Keys, Natalie Merchant (where has she been?), Tori Amos, Ben Harper, and Sarah McLachlan. Wow quite a list! Actually I’ve been listening to Ray LaMontagne’s new one “Supernova” which was supposed to be out May 6 but came out instead at the end of April. It’s pretty groovy, a bit different than his other folk tunes, more sixties-ish perhaps, with a psychedelic edge. Meanwhile look for Coldplay’s new one “Ghost Stories” to be quieter and more introspective than the last few by the band.

What about you — which books, movies, or albums out this month are you most looking forward to? Continue reading →

Greetings, we are headed into March, which I hope should improve the weather here. It was a very cold February — below 0 degrees Fahrenheit on many days, so I am happy to leave February in the rearview. With a … Continue reading →

My husband and I are heading out this Saturday for our “spring break” trip, which will include a week of bicycling and exploring in Southern California, particularly in San Diego and the Palm Desert area. So I’m posting early. We … Continue reading →

Light snow is falling here this weekend and it’s all pretty and white outside. It’s cold, too (6F, -15C), so it’s better just to stay inside and read near the fireplace with a mug of hot cocoa. It’s perfect for … Continue reading →